Faced with an emperor who is determined to pretend to be ignorant even when he knows the truth, many people don't have many options these days.

They knew that Emperor Yingshi intended to entrust the position of Grand Secretary with powers and duties completely different from those granted by Emperor Hongwu. However, Emperor Yingshi clearly did not intend to discuss this matter further with his court officials.

Enough has been debated in court, so there's no need to continue. Emperor Ying Shi's current plan is to get on the train first and pay the fare later, or even not pay the fare at all.

Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory, Grand Secretary of the Hall of Diligent Conduct, Grand Secretary of the Hall of Military Prowess, and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Zhu Yunying made some changes to the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Imperial Sacrifices from the time of the late Zhu Yuanzhang, replacing the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion with the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Cautious Conduct.

The Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall was still responsible for instructing the Crown Prince, while the Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion was on the left.

These are the four halls and two pavilions. However, the Grand Secretaries of the Wenhua Hall and the Dongge Pavilion do not enter the Meridian Gate to serve in the Wenyuan Pavilion or participate in state affairs. Their role is to oversee the implementation of regulations, review memorials, and draft and approve replies.

Among these four Grand Secretaries of the Four Halls and Two Pavilions, the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory is the head, and there is no need for them to be promoted step by step. This is because the Grand Secretaries of the Four Halls and Two Pavilions are all of the fifth rank, and theoretically they are of the same rank.

Moreover, among the four Grand Secretaries who assisted the Emperor, the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall was appointed from among the noble families of the Five Military Commands. It seemed that the civil service group held an absolute advantage in the cabinet, but it was also difficult for them to form a cohesive group; the Emperor still needed to include some of them.

Zhu Yunying disliked factional strife, but he wasn't naive enough to believe that the entire court was harmonious or perfectly united. Wherever there are people, there is intrigue, and the power struggles within the imperial court are countless.

Zhu Yunying was well aware of this. Moreover, as an emperor, he would not like all the civil and military officials to be of one mind. Occasionally, there would still be a need for checks and balances, and some degree of opposition.

In the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yunying summoned Ru Chang. Although Ru Chang seemed to be going against Zhu Yunying these past few days, Zhu Yunying was not really angry. He knew that Ru Chang's actions were part of the duties of the Minister of Personnel, and that Ru Chang was not a puppet who would blindly flatter the emperor.

Since that's the case, Zhu Yunying naturally doesn't need to be really angry. Ru Chang hasn't crossed Zhu Yunying's bottom line yet, so Zhu Yunying can be quite magnanimous about some things, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Ru Chang was naturally Zhu Yunying's confidant. However, Zhu Yunying did not want his confidant to be a spineless yes-man, as that would not actually be of much benefit to him.

Upon seeing Ru Chang, Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Master, please offer your companion a seat."

Ru Chang was not flattered, mainly because she was used to it. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor."

Zhu Yunying smiled and said to Ru Chang, "My lady-in-waiting, please don't try to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up. If you continue, it will only damage our relationship as ruler and subject, which would be a loss."

Ru Chang was inwardly distressed. He still wanted to offer his advice to His Majesty, not only because of his duty as Minister of Personnel, but also because of his loyalty to the Emperor. Unfortunately, His Majesty seemed completely ungrateful.

Although the emperor said so, Ru Chang still tried one last time, "Your Majesty, I believe that the actions of the Grand Secretary Zuo Zheng are not inappropriate. However, His Majesty the Retired Emperor had established ancestral rules in his early years. If Your Majesty insists on going your own way, it will damage Your Majesty's reputation."

Ru Chang put it very bluntly, and these are indeed the reasons why Ru Chang has been fighting hard during this period of time.

As Minister of Personnel, Ru Chang naturally had no reason to oppose the system of Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Literary Brilliance. As a traditional civil official, Ru Chang also hoped that the emperor's power would be somewhat limited and that the civil service group would wield greater authority.

It was clearly just a matter of a decree from His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus, and everything would be resolved without any hidden dangers. In Ru Chang's view, His Majesty couldn't possibly be unaware of this, but he seemed to be feigning ignorance while actually knowing the truth.

Zhu Yunying was indeed pretending not to know what was going on. He could naturally guess Ru Chang's thoughts, but he chose to ignore them. It was that simple.

Ru Chang's thinking actually made sense. Since Emperor Yingshi was determined to do certain things, he could have discussed it with the retired emperor. After all, the retired emperor was still alive, and Emperor Yingshi didn't need to bear the reputation of violating ancestral rules; that would be a losing proposition.

Leaving aside the paternal affection that Emperor Hongwu had for Emperor Yingshi, the fact that they had been working together for so many years is enough to show that these two supreme rulers knew about each other and had nothing to hide.

Looking at Ru Chang, Zhu Yunying asked with a smile, "Your companion, tell me, why do you think the ministers in the court insisted that we report the cabinet's affairs to the Emperor?"

Ru Chang remained silent. This topic was extremely sensitive. Even if everyone's motives differed slightly, many were aware of the situation. It wasn't just the Ming Dynasty emperor who was feigning ignorance; many ministers were also pretending not to understand.

Seeing that Ru Chang remained silent, Zhu Yunying asked with a smile, "Companion, why did we raise the ranks of the six ministers to the first rank two years ago? Could it be that we really wanted to bring about a balance in the court and wanted to curb the influence of military officials?"

Ru Chang's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but feel a little taken aback, and even a little nervous. The emperor in front of him was a man of deep cunning, always very opinionated and with a very deep mind.

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